CompTIA Teams Up to Offer Penetration Testing Challenge

Tech industry association CompTIA is teaming up with cybersecurity skills development firm Immersive Labs to test the wits and cybersecurity mettle of tech pros from two countries.

Ever since the era, way back in medieval times, when mysterious forces jammed a sword in a rock and challenged the rightful heir to the throne of Uther Pendragon to reveal himself by pulling it free, humankind has been making up challenges to test the worth of the masses in search of this or that skill or quality.

Leading tech industry association CompTIA and cybersecurity skills development firm Immersive Labs are not attempting to find the next king of the Britons. They are, however, issuing a general challenge to anyone with penetration testing wherewithal, and winners will be rewarded with a prize package.

Starting today, as announced at the currently unfolding RSA Conference 2019 in San Francisco — one of the world's leading annual information security gatherings — CompTIA and Immersive Labs have kicked off a competition "designed to assess your pen testing skills, and have a bit of fun all at the same time."

The CompTIA / Immersive Labs Pen Test Challenge pits cybersecurity specialists against a series of labs designed to confound the penetration testing skill of anyone who dares to participate. Everyone who logs in (registration is required) and successfully completes the challenge will be entered in a prize drawing.

CompTIA evangelist James Stanger said in a press release announcing the challenge that skilled security professionals can use a penetration test to help organizations improve their procedures and security controls. “Penetration testing, if done right, is a proven and valuable activity that all organizations should engage in,” Stanger said.

“Unfortunately pen tests are too often done by rote simply to check a box on a compliance form."

CompTIA is still in the early stages of drumming up interest in its PenTest+ certification, launched last summer. The PenTest+ credential is a middle tier in CompTIA's rapidly expanding cybersecurity certification portfolio, which also includes the foundational Security+ credential, the intermediate CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst credential, and the top-level CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner credential.

The CompTIA / Immersive Labs Pen Test Challenge is open to anyone 18 or older who lives in the United States or the United Kingdom. The challenge will unfold over a roughly three-week timeline, with two winners selected through a random prize drawing on March 24.

Additional information about the challenge, as well as registration protocol, are available online.